Financial woes, or opportunities for blessings...

We have been struggling some with our church finances, as a many churches are. We truly believe that God is with us, that he is leading us to do fantastic things, and that He will provide the means, financially speaking, to make them happen. So we are optimistic, if not a bit cautious.

But as we’ve been talking more and more about it, people are stepping up and increasing their gifts to the church. This by itself is certainly a good thing. But the good goes way beyond that, because as I talk to them about it, many are experiencing the joys of giving generously.

There really is a giving paradox, which suggests that the more you give, the more you get blessed. And if you’ve ever begun tithing and wondered how you could give that much, you’ve seen this paradox at work. The blessing in our financial struggles is that many in our church have begun to see this paradox at work. As they open up and give more, they seem to see more blessings. They see the hand of God at work. Their eyes are open to what He is doing.

The paradox is true! And apparently even Solomon in Old Testament times had seen it work. He wrote, in Proverbs 11:24, “One man gives freely yet gains even more; another withholds unduly but comes to poverty.”

Many are holding on tightly to what they have, but the truth remains, God blesses our generosity.